The present invention relates to cans and, in particular, to a closure top for liquid containing cans such as cans containing cooking fuel which ensures a fluid-tight closure prior to use while providing easy access to the container contents and/or use of the canned fuel system.
As shown in FIG. 1, heretofore, liquid or semi-liquid fuel containing cans 10 such as the cans for cooking fuel sold under the tradename Sterno have been provided with a removable metal plug-like closure 12 inserted into a single, central aperture 14. Other cans 16 have been provided with a wick 18 which extends upwardly from the top of the can as illustrated in FIG. 2, the wick 18 being covered prior to use by a flexible plastic cap 20 which frictionally engages a stem 22 defined about the wick 18 at its juncture with the can 16.
The can closures described above have the deficiency that the seal provided by the metal plug and the seal provided by the plastic wick cap are generally not fluid tight and, accordingly, the liquid or semi-liquid fuel disposed within the can will leak, from the periphery of the opening in the top of the can particularly when the can is tipped or turned upside down during handling. Because the liquid or semi-liquid cooking fuel disposed within these cans is flammable, leaking of the fuel in this manner not only renders that can unsalable but makes the storing of such cans hazardous as the fuel which leaks from the can may be ignited with disastrous results.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a can top closure which provides a fluid-tight seal prior to use and yet is easily opened without requiring tools or an extraordinary amount of strength and agility.
A further deficiency with the can closure described above, particularly that illustrated in FIG. 1 is that the burn efficiency of the same is low and it is not possible to effectively control the heat generated thereby. Indeed, the only manner of varying the heat of such canned fuel is to particularly close the aperture defined through the can closure with the metal plug.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a can top closure which increases the burn efficiency of the canned fuel and/or enables a degree of control over the heat generated thereby.